This pilot aims to:

1. Understand the needs of young people with SEND and how to support them in the workplace.

2. Co-design bespoke work placements which create effective pathways into entry-level jobs and map to funded skills programmes (traineeships, inclusive apprenticeships, supported internships).

3. Deliver training to employers and supervisors to develop their understanding of the support needs of young people with SEND and to further support more inclusive recruitment practices.

4. Offer guidance on designing suitable employment opportunities for young people with SEND, focusing on the skills, level of support and preparation needed for them to engage meaningfully in the workplace.

In the long-term, learnings from this pilot will support ThinkForward in the development of a job creation strategy and offer an opportunity to collaborate with other providers operating in the SEND employment space. By using a clear framework, we want to influence employer partners to create new job opportunities which are more inclusive and actively tackle systemic barriers which prevent young people from unlocking their full potential.

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This strategic approach will also potentially support employers to address skills and recruitment gaps in a more creative way.

We are really looking forward to seeing how this programme develops and are excited for the opportunities it will open for young people with SEND.

It’s shocking that these young people are more at risk of unemployment, and with the cost-ofliving crisis, help is needed now more than ever. Our funding will enable ThinkForward to plan and resource this pilot and DHL Parcel will host a group of young people at their Sittingbourne site in Kent. They will have the opportunity to develop core skills and experience the workplace, helping break barriers to employment.”

Sonia Chhatwal, Director of DHL UK Foundation

Young people on our FutureMe and DFN-MoveForward programmes have taken part in 322 Ready for Work events, involving workplace insight trips, skills workshops and bespoke post-16 events.

Young people who remember 4 or more encounters with employers during school are 86% less likely to become NEET.

I went on an insight day to Bird & Blend. The benefits of insight events are that workers talk to us about their career paths, and it makes me feel less worried about the future in terms of jobs, because they all ended up where they wanted to be, even if they didn’t know what they wanted to do at the start.

Insight events help me now focus more on what I want to do rather than what looks good or earns the most money. The best part of the Bird & Blend insight day was trying new teas and making our own blends. I really enjoyed listening to the career journey of the owner and hearing how she got there.”

Sky, FutureMe, Kent

The Greater London Authority (GLA) and Careers & Enterprise Company awarded ThinkForward the opportunity to deliver the Effective Transitions Project. The Mayor of London’s Workforce Integration Network (WIN) identified that building social capital for young black men, in addition to accessing more employer-led career activities, could help improve outcomes for young black men living in London.